The present invention relates to a portable extremity support rack that is collapsible and can be readily deployed in different settings where injury and/or trauma management may take place.
Because acute injuries to limbs often occur at unpredictable times and in a wide range of settings, injury management for these injuries may be carried out in a variety of different places including, but not limited to, physical therapy clinics, hospital emergency rooms, athletic facility playing fields/sidelines, athletic training rooms, patient homes and hospital recovery rooms.
Typically, acute injuries to limbs are treated by applying the RICE methodology: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Due to the unpredictability of where and when the injuries occur, it is important for medical practitioners to have the capability to perform standard RICE treatment in a number of different environments. Therefore, there is a need for a lightweight, portable extremity support rack that is easily set up for appropriate limb elevations in a variety of settings where RICE treatment takes place.
Previous versions of portable support racks are bulky, rigid and not adjustable, or their range of adjustment precludes the racks"" use in treating some injuries. Furthermore, portable support racks often do not have the capability of functioning in a wide range of environments.
As compared with prior art implementations, the present invention provides a portable extremity support rack with increased range of motion, adjustable in both length and angle, allowing it to comfortably fit injured limbs of different sizes, shapes and lengths. Specifically, the support rack can be used to elevate an injured leg by adjustably positioning two separate surfaces that respectively support portions of the upper and lower leg. Similarly, the rack may be used to elevate an upper extremity limb such as an arm.
The support rack supports an injured limb along two separate surfaces, e.g., upper and lower cradles, that are independently positioned relative to each other. By adjustment of the relative displacements and angles at which the two surfaces are positioned, the rack can support injured limbs in myriad elevated positions. For instance, when used to support an injured leg, the thigh rests on a proximal lower cradle and the calf rests on a distal upper cradle. Additionally, an end-rest supports the weight of the extremity""s outermost end, such as a foot.
The lower cradle is secured at an arbitrary position on a pair of lower rails, and the upper cradle is secured on a pair of upper rails. Each upper rail in the support rack is pivotally hinged to a corresponding lower rail, and each lower rail is additionally hinged to a rigid base. The two lower rails are supported by a set of lower struts, and, similarly, a separate set of upper struts elevates the upper rails. Specifically, the upper and lower struts are each pivotally hinged to the base on one end and attached to the upper and lower cradles, respectively, on the other end.
Advantageously, the upper and lower struts are each extendable so that the lower cradle and upper cradle are independently positioned at different heights relative to the base. Thus, a wide range of elevations for an injured extremity can be realized by selecting different extensions for the lower struts and upper struts. Further, the angles of the upper and lower struts can be independently set since each strut is pivotally hinged to the base. In the preferred embodiment, the relative positions of the upper and lower struts along the base are also adjustable.
Preferably, the base is part of a portable carrying case, and the extremity support rack is collapsible into the case for ease of transport and storage.